Last year, when Dr Jordanne Lauren Levy was crowned Miss Jamaica Universe 2023, doubt was the chief emotion in her mind, even clouding the initial excitement of her accomplishment. One year later, she is confident, settled and joyful.
Looking back at the rocky beginning of her reign, she told The Sunday Gleaner, “Bringing me back to that moment was so ... I don’t know how to describe it. It’s almost like I had an out-of-body experience before. As you know, I had a stumble on stage and I’m almost glad it happened on stage to teach not only young women but young people that everybody makes mistakes. Not everybody does it on stage with the bright lights, cameras rolling. In that moment, you just want the ground to open up and you fall in there, but it’s okay. It’s how you push on, it’s how you persevere, it’s how you know exactly what you want. You identify it and say ‘I’m gonna go after it anyway’.”
Levy said, from as early as she can remember, this was a dream of hers. Influenced by her mother Donna Matthews, a 1986 Miss Universe Jamaica contestant, she said entering the pageant was more a question of when, not if.
Recalling her childhood, she said, “I saw pictures of her just shining on stage. She told stories of her being a shy young woman and how the pageant really grew her confidence, and that, to me, that was inspiring. So, of course, as a child I write down in my diary ‘I am going to be Miss Universe Jamaica’. There are a number of things I wrote down but I stress this story because it is important for young people to learn that you can achieve what you set your heart to. You can manifest it and, from an early age, she taught me that.”
When the time came for Levy to enter, the road was far rockier than she expected. Nervously stumbling in the first round, she said, above all, she remembers just how stiff the competition was.
“You’re competing for something that, for a lot girls, that’s their one chance. So the competition was stiff.”
She went on, “I have in my head, and I would love to teach this to young women that want to start pageantry, what is to be will be. There is one crown but you must learn to walk away from the pageant with more than the crown, so that if you do not win the title and the crown, you still walk away with invaluable memories, invaluable friendships, and many lessons to grow as a young woman in Jamaica.”
Realising her wildest dreams, Levy was named Miss Jamaica Universe 2023.
Though she was not immediately a crowd favourite, she said a strong support system is what kept her grounded as she prepared for El Salvador.
“It was great to be surrounded by friends and family that kept me grounded. So it was never a situation where I said ‘I did it, yes!’ or a title that I would flaunt. It was something I felt very humbled by, that I was able to achieve. It was a lot of hard work and the worst possible thing happened to me. However, the work that I put in and the sacrifice that I made, it was worth it.”
Just under three months after being crowned, Levy travelled to El Salvador to compete in the 72nd Miss Universe Pageant. While the young doctor did not win, she made it to the top 20.
She said, though she is grateful to have represented Jamaica internationally, she feels some remorse over her performance.
“Sometimes I kick myself because I slipped in my evening gown portion, but nobody would know that maybe. But it’s something that I would kick myself over. The worst thing happened before and I knew that I could survive, I was still standing.”
Levy says those experiences are what she honed in on during her year as Miss Universe Jamaica. Using them as examples to teach her mentees that even when you stumble in life, you can recover. Through her Be-You-tiful Campaign, she has taken 10 girls in Majesty Gardens under her wing so they can grow together.
“We build confidence, we do a lot of résumé building, vision board making. I’m helping some of them to get into school and build a financial background so they can finish school and achieve their dreams. I want to teach young women, not only in Jamaica, but all over, that you can be yourself. It’s okay to be yourself, and your unique qualities [are] what make you incredible. It’s what makes you light up a room,” she said gushing before continuing.
“That gives me purpose, that makes me feel like I’m doing what I am supposed to do, so I should own it. It’s been a journey but I can safely say my confidence has been built through this process and I am grateful for that.”
Now, as Levy readies herself to hand over the crown, she says her successor will be receiving a handwritten keepsake from her, imparting all her knowledge.
“I made sure to journal while I was at Miss Universe, while it was still fresh, so I could give some great advice to the next queen. I am all about the empowerment of other women, and I stand by the saying ‘empowered women empower other women’. So, knowing that my experiences taught me a lot, it wouldn’t be fair to just go on my way without sharing that with the next queen.”
As for her private life, Levy says she is looking forward to some stillness as she decides what facet of medicine to hone in on.
“Hopefully, I will be starting dermatology during my senior house officer year, and that would tie in my beauty [interest] and my medicine quite nicely. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, having a medical aesthetics spa. Maybe you’ll hear about that in the future, because that’s a dream of mine.”
In addition to continuing her charity she shared, “I am officially volunteering as a medical doctor at the Majesty Gardens Health Centre starting in August. I wanna dabble in some modelling, maybe some acting, who knows? But definitely ensuring that I create a great example for young women in Jamaica, that’s a goal of mine.”
Summing up the year that was, Levy said, “It’s been an incredible year, a journey to myself and who I was meant to be. But, more importantly than that, it’s been incredibly rewarding impacting other people’s lives. The group of girls that I have, they’re incredible and they’re gonna be doing great things. That’s how we build Jamaica. I’m more proud of that than any top-20 placement, just knowing that I am building my country for better.”